73 comments:

Today was a difficult day with MM. Maximum "I hate you! You're ruining my life!" over requiring some accountability over school work, and then requiring that he help his father with replacing the mailbox (Me: "You can help him and keep your privileges, or you can lose your privileges and STILL help him"). He kept his privileges.

My elderly neighbor who became unresponsive was transferred from the hospital to a rehab facility near his daughter's house. His wife says he has pneumonia, and he isn't walking (which she attributes to having spent so much time in bed). It still doesn't sound so great to me, but she is trying to be hopeful, and I was trying to send love along.

And so many hugs for Liz. You're an incredible parent, and I'm amazed at how you keep it together through the teenager-ness.

Esperanza: we have mystery virus and croup-y cough first thing in the morning here, too! I hope that Sweet recovers quickly.

W: we were going to have friends over for supper, but that's been cancelled. (One friend was going to come for supper because his wife and kids were going to be out of town for the break, but the kids are all sick with Mystery Virus as well, and so they're all at home. Other friends were also going to join us, but I told them to stay away when I heard E's cough.)

I guess it's time to freeze two out of three of these racks of ribs, since there will only be three of us (including a sick preschooler) eating them tonight.

Happier thought: my tomato seeds arrived in the mail today, and the company sent me free seeds from a third variety of tomato! (They seem to have noticed that I'm a new customer, and that I was only ordering drying tomatoes and paste tomatoes, and so they sent me a really nice variety of eating tomatoes, that's well suited to a northern climate! All signs point to me buying three varieties again next year.)

Yum. Garden tomatoes. My chief gardener at the new church is already setting his tomato seedlings out. (He's apparently the one with the information and instinct--3 or 4 others ask him each week what he is planting). He's promised to plant some black eyed peas for me, and I've promised to help pick them.

I've already informed Sweet she is going to school tomorrow. She could have gone today.

Neighbor Boy also came down with mystery illness this weekend. Sore throat Friday, but otherwise ok, went to school. Same Saturday, and played basketball, had a great day with cousins. Figured slight cold. Long walk Sunday and played basketball outside. Then in the afternoon, fever of 102. What?! Fever on and off since then, now cough. Husband took him to urgent care yesterday and rapid strep was negative. So, mystery.

I definitely imagined you clapping between each of those words, esperanza. Or Oprah-style. Mystery illness for eeeeeveryooooooone!

E is a lot better now, too, other than an occasional cough. I'm glad that we still have the rest of the week's vacation left, with moderately good health. And I hope that Neighbor Boy gets better quickly, NL!

Commentary: It is raining a lot here. Again. And on reflection, that song "The Ants Go Marching" is totally preposterous, because NO ants go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain. They ALL go marching into one's kitchen and bathrooms, because the ground is a fireplacing swamp.

AW: Both of our boys called us on Family Day, which was Monday. They're sweet.

W: The pain in my right temple is messing with me. I woke up in the night and it was on the other side. This rarely happens and when it does, it's very disorienting. I was able to fall back to sleep with some ice on it, and woke up with the return of the right temple pain. I go to the big city for treatment in ten days.

W: Big Chunky Meeting starting tomorrow through Sunday. With head pain, this is whine-worthy.

So many hugs, pk. I hope that your glasses (or suitable replacements) show up very soon. And more hugs because of the discouragement.

W: I had a persistent headache yesterday, just on the edge of migraine symptoms, but then I slept poorly last night after that, which means I'm a mess today. I had to kick Mr. Q to the guest bedroom at 2am, because the remnants of his cold were making him snore like a buzz saw.

AW: at least it's a holiday week, and I don't have to drag myself out of the house today.

My neighbor's wife needed rides to and from the commuter train, so she could run some errands and pick up some stuff before heading back out to the rehab facility. This is NO problem whatsoever, but she hates to impose and just kept apologizing. They're trying all kinds of therapy for a week or 2, to see if it helps her husband -- PT, OT, the speech therapist did a swallow study, the nutritionist is coming up with an appropriate diet, etc. She still hasn't said if it's a stroke, but sounds like one.

Someone in my family went off meds AGAIN -- it was a follow-through problem, and then a delay in getting something else lined up. And they came yesterday. But yesterday was a while too late, and so far, this is not a good night.

Hugs, everyone. I found my glasses, and am scheduled for a root canal in the abscessed tooth tomorrow. Everyone here is sick, some with just bad colds, some with the flu. I am a bad cold one, and dentist says they're willing to proceed with the root canal. I really hope it isn't too awful.

W: (apparently waking up early gives me an early start on whining): the neighbor's outside unit for their air conditioner is cycling off and on every 5 seconds. I timed it. They have a heat pump, just as we do, and sometimes they go a little wacky when the temperature outside is low (55 this morning) and the thermostat is set for a/c (which it probably is because it was 90 yesterday and will be again today). But, can they not hear it!?!? Is it not bothering them!?!?

Re: immigration raids. My sister-in-law (married to my brother) is from Central America. She came to the U.S. on a fiancee visa in 2012, which grants a green card. A couple of years ago she became a naturalized citizen, mostly on a whim and because visiting the consulate of her home country to renew her passport was too much travel and too much of a pain. So she holds a U.S. passport, and I am so relieved that she does. My big niece (age 22) also holds a U.S. passport, as my brother adopted her at age 8, and once adopted, she could obtain a state birth certificate and thus a passport. (Her biological father remains in Central America and legally relinquished his rights). Other two nieces were born in the U.S. But--how are you going to know that just looking at them? Are they supposed to carry their passports around all the time in their own country? That doesn't seem like a good idea. But I'm not clear on how citizens are supposed to prove they are citizens. It's awful.

PK, glad you found your glasses! And as I recall, the thing about a root canal is that you *do not* have tooth pain after. There could be some gum and jaw soreness, but that's more manageable. And nowadays, they can either fill it or do a temp pretty quickly. Can you take music? xoxo

Oh, Esperanza, about the immigration nightmares, and fears for your TOTALLY LEGAL relatives (and neighbors) who may need to prove they are totally legal all the damned time. I'm not liking where things are going just now....

AW: My colleague friends are really good people.

Oh, did I tell you? The Mama Summit About The Wedding is this weekend! The bride and her best friend; their moms; and me, the MOTG. No boyz. This sounds like a good arrangement, since the groom and his father, and I suspect the FOTB, would rather poke their eyes out with sticks than do wedding planning. LOL! (And my son is the one who insisted on a big celebration...)

Good theory, but the mamas and the bride are having none of that. It is possible we will elect him to head of cleanup. :)

My own son actually told me at one point that we had to have real plates and silverware, because *everybody* does at weddings -- and all I could think was, WHAT??? Do I even know you??? We'll be lucky to get the industrial grease out of your fingernails before your own wedding!!!! Apparently, some of his friends have broken the bank on their wedding festivities, but -- well, this is why we are having a Summit. My son can do many things, but price this thing out is not one of them.

I am a huge fan of disposables at a big event, especially if we can get compostables. Aside from the cost of renting the dishes, etc., somebody at least has to collect and scrape and rinse them -- and, that just seems like Too Much. IMO. Will see how the rest of the Summit feels, but even at reasonably fancy lawyer things (that aren't held in hotels with staff), nobody even notices the use of disposables. Everybody's busy talking to other people, and etc.

I think if you had real plates, people would say, briefly, "oh, how nice to have real plates." But if you have disposables, no one will notice or care. My two cents, because I'm sure you need more input.

The only reason to use real plates is if you entertain semi-frequently, and don't mind doing the washing up yourself. My mom, for instance, used to rent dishes for the annual T'giving food-fest (hosting 30 people for 4 days), then went disposable, then bought factory seconds at $3/setting. The dishes live in the basement the rest of the year. But there are also lots of hands to help wash and put away.

Table cloths = good. What about getting sale fabric and then making your son and future daughter-in-law a keepsake quilt or baby quilt (or place mats nad napkins) from them when you're done? Cheaper, I think than buying table cloths. And you can have different colors!

My son actually suggested mama-sewn tablecloths! (So did someone else, I forgot who.) I just have no idea what his beloved has in mind, and am iffy on whether mama can pull off a bunch of round tablecloths.

Despite my stand on china, I'm in the real wine glasses corner. Go figure. Maybe ribbon roses with name tags, to wrap around the stem? NOT going mom-zilla, it's just an idea, ok? LOL

With things like sewn tablecloths, ask a few questions: 1.) am I going to end up frustrated and angry at this sewing project, a few nights before the wedding, with nothing going right? 2.) what on earth are we going to do with all these tablecloths afterwards? and 3.) what are the cost differences between fabric and sewing supplies, and renting the tablecloths for the event? (But my lowest moment as a bridesmaid involved sewing stacks of tablecloths because the colour of cloths offered by the caterer weren't the RIGHT shade, according to the MOB, but then also according to the bride, who didn't know how to say no to her mom.)

With centrepieces and that sort of thing, consider something that can be turned into presents for guests afterward. (My MIL actually planted flowering perennials into nice pots, for our centrepieces, and there was a wild rush on those at the end, by various green-thumbed guests. Alternately, another friend decorated with lanterns that turned into thank you presents for helpers.) My SIL was actually able to resell her centrepieces online afterwards, which was also an awesome way not to end up with boxes of stuff going into storage at the end.

AW: I had a lovely day! My BFF is in town this weekend, and today we sat down and did a bunch of taxes, budgeting, and planning for the next year. It may sound boring, but we had a really good time, and it took a load off of each of our minds. (She gets overwhelmed by paperwork and numbers, and so I helped her simplify her life, and in exchange, she's going to help me decorate the house, because I am very much not artistic.)

So sick. Everyone here except one of the kids has the flu. Toddler is particularly clingy and leech-like. We also have a leak in the water main that I'm having to deal with getting detected and repaired--thankfully my dad stepped in and did a lot of the work with that. This week and last week are the first times I've really, severely missed having another adult around.

At least I got my root canal on the abscessed tooth done yesterday before the worst of the flu kicked in.

The wedding summit went swimmingly -- and most things are decided, various other things are parceled out for participants to look for the best options. YAY! I was afraid of being overbearing and having too many questions, but it turns out that one of my future DIL's best friends took that role! Also -- I'm in charge of finding appropriate compostables, among a few other things -- win! (And I demurred from the wedding dress hunt, because seriously, it will be better that way.)

Yesterday I baked 6 layers of chocolate cake to make a Question Box surprise cake. Turns out the chocolate cake recipe I used was too moist and it all collapsed. But, as Kathy said on FB, now we have cake pudding!

Currently MM and several of his friends are playing Mario Bros for his belated B-day party. Pizza and (SIGH) store-bought cake for candletime went quickly.

Well, sometimes things happen... Hippo birdie to MM, and I bet as long as the food keeps coming, they will be happy as larks. :)

Now I've gone on a total tangent about how to make garland runners for the tables at the wedding, because that is what my son's beloved wants (have that worked out in principle -- like doing a wreath, but attaching greenery to a rope using floral wire, then adding flowers on site; plus, maybe I can borrow the walk-in cooler at the local family-owned market for overnight storage of floral things that someone else is buying the day before?; plus sparkle lights on batteries that we already have). And I know this is not my actual assignment, but it makes me so happy! May do a practice piece this week, to see how it looks.

Also preparing a change of work focus, which involves an application and writing samples and references, and I have not done this kind of thing for many years. But think that it will work out. Knock wood!

Oh, good luck with the hoped-for change of work focus, Kathy! And the garland sounds like it would be lovely.

Happy birthday to MM! I'm sorry that the cake collapsed, but: are you sharing any of that too-moist chocolate cake? That sounds like heaven to me.

Everyone, the most ridiculous thing happened yesterday. First, E accidentally jumped onto a nail (the ottoman's little plastic foot came off, which has never happened before, and no one noticed until E jumped off the ottoman and straight onto the nail that was sticking up). Then, in the following chaos, I tried to figure out which piece of furniture lost its foot, and tipped a hard wooden chair onto my foot in the process. Both E and I are limping painfully today.

Neighbor Boy is turning 13 this week!My cake also did not work... though I am impressed by the puzzle box attempt!!! Ambitious! For me, it was the frosting that let me down..... too runny. Oh well.... hopefully will still be yummy!

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